Speed-indicator.



No. 870,203. PATENTBD NOV. 5, 1907.

- C. W. SPONSEL.

SPEED INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18. 1906.

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PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. SPONSEL, OF

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SPEED-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 5, 1907'.

Application filed October 18. 1906. Serial No. 339,474.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. SroNsnL, a citizen oi the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSpeed-Indicaters, of which the following is a specification.

Frequent-ly it is necessary to ascertain the speed per minute of a shaitor other object, and it is desirable to have a hand and simple tool foraccomplishing this result one ol such size that it maybe carried aboutthe person, for instance, in a vest pocket.

Primarily the object of the invention is the provision of a light,portable tool which may readily be applied to the shalt or other objectthe speed ol which is to be tested, said tool carrying an indicator,

A lui-ther object ol the invention is the provision of a casing oiconvenient size to contain the counting and indieating-mechanism, andthe devices, few in number and simple .in construction, ior operatingsaid mechanism.

Other objccts'oi the invention will hereinafter be set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a vview in elevation of myimprovement; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereoi; and Fig.3 is a detail view partially in section.

Like numerals designate similar' parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a casing enlargedlor the greater portion of its length at 5f, and reduced to iorm a neck52, said casing being prelcrably a single tube closed at its enlargedend by a cap 6, although it may be oi different construction, ildesired, without departing from the invention.

Fitted in the reduced part or neck 52 ol the casing is a slidablebearing 4 having a bore et@ an inner head 7 andv an outer head 8chambered at 9 to receive an anti-riction-device 10. said bearing beingreduced between the heads 7 and 8, and the head '7 thereof normallyengaging a shoulder l2 formed by reducing the end of casing 5.Designated by 13 is a. spiral spring litted upon a flanged tube 14,loose Within the casing, and bearing at one end against the head 7 andat its opposite extremity against the flange oi said tube7 asillustrated in Fig. 2.

Mounted in the bore 4/ of the slidable bearing 4 is a shalt or spindle15, having a collar 15, and a head or cylindrical enlarged portion 152provided with a reversely-beveled tip or point 153, shaped to fit thecounter-sunk opening i'or the reception of the center in the end of ashaft. At the end opposite the head 152 the shaft or spindle l5 isprovided with an inner clutchhead 16 having clutch-teeth 17. saidclutch-head being located within the spiral spring 13, as illustrated inFig. 2.

Designated in a general Way by 18 is a counting or i indicating-devicethe numerals ol which will appear through the slot 19 of the casing 57as shown in Fig. 1. This device may be of any approved form suitable tobe received within the casing to have its indicatingnumerals showthrough the slot in the same, and the driving-shaft ol said device ismarked 20, and is provided with a clutch-head 217 having clutch-teeth22, adapted when the device is in use to engage the clutchteeth 1.7 olthe spindle 15.

As above stated7 and as will be evident irom the drawings, the bearing 4slides with the neck-portion 52 ot the casing and the inner head thereolis normally held against the shoulder 12 by the spring 13. When,however, the head 153 oi' the spindle 15 is applied to the shalt orother object the speed oi which it is desired to ascertain the push ofthe hand in which the device is held against the end-cap 6 of saidcasing will cause the bearing 4 to slide in Ward within the casing, andconnection will thereby be made between the clutch-teeth 17 oi thespindle or shalt 15 and the clutchteeth 22 of the shalt for driving thecounting and indicating-mechanism.

To pre\.'ent injurious end-thrust against the extremity ol the shalt orspindle 20, the hanged-tube 'lll is made oi suilicient length to engageo bearing 4 when the clutch-teeth are in ed and. thus to act as a stopYand prevent any ing oi the parts oi the indicator 18 when7 as stated7the device is in use.

Alter the speed oi the shaft or other object has been ascertained thedevice is withdrawn from the shalt. and the spring 13 then immediatelyloi-ces outward the bearing et in which the spindle 15 is journaled andrestores the parts to normal conditions with the clutchteeth disengaged,as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Anti-friction devices ol airy sort may be substituted lor theball-bearings 9 to reduce the friction oi' the parts, and as theyoperate in the usual way liu-ther descrip tion thereol is deemedunnecessary,

A cap or sheath 23 may be applied to the part 15L of the spindle 15 iidesired to prevent interference oi the conical head or point 153 withthe wall ol the pocket in which the article may be carried.

Changes maybe made in various details ol the mechanism without departingfrom the invention. and any suitable counting or indicating device maybe substituted for that illustrated. Coinputations may be made in anyusual way according to the style ol the countingdevice or indicatoremployed without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim isi 1r A speed indicatorcomprising a casing, a counting and indicatingdevice, a bearing'siidabie within the casing, n spindle carried by the bearing forengaging the device the speed of which is to be ascertained, andclutch-eiements for engaging said spindle with the counting,l andindicating-device.

2. A speed indicator comprising a casing, a counting andindicating-device carried by said casing, a device movable with relationto said casing, means for engaging said movable device With the countingand indicating device when the movable device is applied to an objectthe speed of which is to be ascertained and a stop for preventingend-thrust of the movable device and its engaging means against anelement of the counting and indicating device.

3. A speed-indicator comprising a casing, a counting andindicating-device carried by said casing, a bearing slidable withrelation to said casing, a spindle movable in a bore of the bearing, andcarrying at one end a device for engaging an object the speed of whichis to be ascertained, and at its other end a clutch and means fordisconnecting said clutch from the counting and indicating-device.

4. A speed-indicator comprising a casing, a bearing slid able in saidcasing, a spindle rotatable in a bore of the bearing, a clutch-elementcarried by the spindle, and a counting and indicating-device actuated bysaid clutchelement.

5. A speed-indicator comprising a casing, a bearing slidable in thecasing, a spindle rotatable in a bore of the bearing, and shaped on oneend to engage an object the speed of which is to be ascertained, aclutch-element on the spindle, a counting and indicating-device, a shaftfor actuating said device, and a clutch-element carried by said shaft,and adapted to engage the clutch-element of the spindle.

G. A speed-indicator comprlsing a casing having a slot, a bearingslidable in said casing, a spindle rotatable in a bore of the bearingand shaped on one end to engage an object the speed of which is to beascertained, a clutchelement on the spindle, a counting andindicating-device visible through the slot of the casing, a shaft foractuating said device, a clutch-element carried by said shaft andadapted to engage the clutch-element of the spindle, and means fordisengaging said clutch-elements.

7. A speed-indicator comprising a casing, a counting andindicating-devicemounted within the casing, a bearing slidable Withinthe casing, a tube Within the casing, a spring surrounding the tube, andengaging one end of the bearing, a spindle rotatable Within the bearing,and having a device at one end adapted to engage an object the speed ofwhich is to be ascertained, a clutch-element on the opposite extremityof the spindle, and a clutch-element` carried by a member of thecounting and indicating-device- S. The' combination, with a casing, of aflanged tube loose Within a part of said casing, a spring surroundingsaid tube, and bearing at one end against the flange thereof; a bearingslidable in' the casing, said bearing having a bore; a spindle rotatablein the bore, and having a head at each extremity; ashaft-engaging-device rigid with one of the spindle heads; and aclutch-element rigid With the other spindle-head, said clutch-clementbeing adapted to engage an element of the counting andindicating-device.

In testimony whereof I. affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W.' SPONSEL.

Witnesses F. E. ANDERSON, LOUIS F. WHITMAN.

